There are tumors for which the right to oncological oblivion “triggers” before 5 years (for pediatric patients) and 10 years (for adult patients) from the end of the treatment or from the last surgical operation provided for by the general law approved on last December. In fact, the decree of the Ministry of Health is published in the Official Journal which reports thelist of neoplasms for which shorter time limits apply. In some cases, it may take just one year to be declared cured and no longer be obliged to declare having been a cancer patient: for example in stage I colorectal cancer, in stage I-II breast cancer, in of the testicle in stage I. Again: in the case of tumor of the body of the uterus, the term is 5 years; for melanoma it is 6 years for people over 21 years of age, for stage II-III colorectal cancer it is 7 years.
The right to oncological oblivion, what is it by Tiziana Moriconi 03 August 2023
The oncologists’ pause
“We are satisfied with the publication in the Official Journal of the table of neoplasms in which shorter terms are foreseen for oncological oblivion compared to the general limit of 10 years, or 5 in the case of diagnosis before the age of 21, from the end of treatment – they declare Francesco Perrone (President of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology, Aiom) e Saverio Cinieri (President of the Aiom Foundation) – Oncologists participated in the technical table of the Ministry of Health to define these new criteria, it is a virtuous example of collaboration between scientific societies and institutions for the benefit of patients. These tables, developed with epidemiologists and based on AIRTUM data from Italian tumor registers, are part of the concrete implementation path of the rule”.
Oncologists ready to collaborate with institutions on oncological oblivion 05 December 2023
Cancer: from incurable disease to the possibility of recovery
The established times depend on the fact that, for some tumors (depending on the stage and age of the patient) the excess risk of death from cancer becomes negligible after a few years from the end of treatments, reaching a life expectancy similar to that of the general population. “The fact that a person who has had an oncological disease can be considered cured represents a radical paradigm shift: from ‘incurable cancer’ to ‘chronic cancer that can be cured’. This awareness – conclude the experts – can also become a motivating element for adhering to screening: recovery is all the more likely the earlier the diagnosis”.
Oncological oblivion: with the new rules Italy will be at the forefront in Europe by Dario Rubino 04 July 2023 Topics